


The Sound of the Saw Must be Known by the Tree

by sentimental_boy



Series: Eggsy Unwin shorts [3]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22385905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sentimental_boy/pseuds/sentimental_boy
Summary: soulmate AU where you can feel the other person's pain until you realize you're soulmates.
Relationships: Gary "Eggsy" Unwin/Reader
Series: Eggsy Unwin shorts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1409980
Comments: 1
Kudos: 47





	1. Prologue

You're sitting at Harry's bedside, going over his failed mission, when a short guy strides in with his shoulders square and chin up. He's leading a pug along with him.

"Who are you?"

"Eggsy." He doesn't quite shrug— puffs his chest out, more than anything else. "Who are you?" He asks in a thick Cockney accent.

You raise a brow at his audacity but mentally shrug— you would never make such an undignified gesture to a stranger. You suppose you don't know of his relation to your uncle either. "Agent Kay." You set down your case files and extend your hand.

He shakes your hand and you can't help but feel a pang of... something for this— his jumpsuit lends itself to the word boy, but the man across from you is about your age. "Don't worry, the suit is company-issued. This ain't my style if I had a choice."

You let out a laugh that's all air through your nose. "Believe it or not, it hasn't changed in the last few years."

"How long you been an agent?"

"Almost 5 years now."

"So it was your coworker whose place I'm takin'."

"Yeah, but it's the line of work we're in. If you're smart, you know better than to get attached to people— or anything else— before you go in."

"Were you 'Arry's proposal last time?"

"Good guess. I'm his niece and the agent who's taking over his missions until he wakes. You're his proposal this time, I take it."

"I am. He's been like the dad I never 'ad." Eggsy doesn't know why he said that. From the moment he walked into this room, he felt more comfortable than he has with anyone else in a long time.

"If you get in, we'll almost be related."

"Who's gettin' attached now?" He winks.

"Oh, stop." You roll your eyes but you want to laugh at his cheeky joke. Coming from anyone else, it wouldn't be funny at all, but somehow he makes it... charming.

A minute passes where Eggsy seems to sober up. "So, um, do you know how he's doing?"

"Well, he's still in a coma."

"Right, but what do the doctors think? He gonna wake up?"

"Long story short and less gruesome, he got hit with an unknown drug. They're looking into it."

"So, it's like you said. He's still in a coma."

"That's all the information we have right now."

Eggsy nods but it's clear that his worry over your uncle is mounting.

"How did you say you met?"

"I got into some trouble. Guess my dad was part of your organization back in the day." He pulls a chain out of his shirt where a pendant of the Kingsman insignia hangs. "This came home instead of my dad one night. Came with a favor for his sacrifice or something. I 'eld onto it since I was six till now. Harry's the one who answered the call. After the police station, he took me under his wing."

"Then he became the father you never had."

Eggsy sighs. "I'm gonna regret tellin' you that, ain't I?"

"I may tease, but it's sweet. Anyway, I'm a spy, I know what discretion is. When he wakes up, you might regret saying it in the same room as him, though."

—0—

You don't see Eggsy for a while after that. At first, you couldn't get the new recruit out of your mind. As time passed, you thought of him less, but every time you did, it was with a strange fondness. Strange, because of how disproportionate the strength of your feelings are to the short time you spent with him.

Harry wakes up, you call him a drama queen for being out for so long. A short time passes and everyone is buried in work and missions. You give your uncle shit for getting all the local ones. He uses Eggsy as an excuse at the same time that he proclaims that he's earned it after all his years as a Kingsman. A young woman named Roxy became Lancelot. Then Harry got sent to Kentucky. Harry died in Kentucky. You drink a toast to a fallen comrade and steel yourself to lie to your family about how it happened.

You're on your way out when you smack into someone. You're about to mutter an apology and be on your way, but the man beats you to it.

"I'm so sorry, I'm in a—" He stops talking when he realizes who you are. "Shit. Goin' by the look on your face, you already 'eard about 'arry."

"I did." You take a step closer to him, narrowing your eyes. "How do you?"

Eggsy tells you about their fight and how he watched everything happen in real-time.

"That's awful, Eggsy. I'm sorry you had to see that. And I'm sorry for what he said to you. From what I've seen, it wasn't fair. I'm going to go drown my sorrows before I have to inflict them on my family."

—0—

Eggsy saves the world and takes over your uncle's position.

Kingsman falls.

Eggsy brings your unce home.

Kingsman rebuilds.


	2. Story

Eggsy had been begging to show you a bar he used to frequent. The one he and Harry went to after Harry got him released from the police station when they first met. You warned him that you’re a lightweight, but he said he didn’t mind looking after you if you got drunk. So, here you are at the Black Prince, tipsy after one drink. Eggsy’s been grinning at you all night.

“Wow, I 'ave to get you out more. It’s so great to see that you don’t always have a stick up your arse.” He laughs.

“I don’t—”

“Oh come on, you know I love Harry, but you know how he is, and you’re every bit his niece.”

“Someone with manners? Thank you.”

Eggsy only laughs at you.

“What’s your soulmate like?” Your drunk brain doesn’t need a segway to what’s a private topic for some.

“I haven't met her.” He tilts his head to the side. "Have you met yours?" He knows he doesn't know you very well but he felt like you were getting closer lately. Soulmates can be a personal matter, but that’s usually only before they meet. He feels like you would have mentioned it if you had found your soulmate.

“Nope. Haven’t met mine.” You pause. Eggsy’s pretty openly bisexual so his surety throws you. “If you haven’t met your soulmate, how do you know she’s a she?”

“I get cramps once a month. Pretty sure that ain’t me.”

“They could be trans, non-binary, or genderfluid.”

He shrugs. “Guess so, yeah. Either way, I wish they knew what pain killers were. That shit hurts. Enough that sometimes I’m worried they have worse issues they aren’t gettin’ taken care of.”

“Yeah, that’s not an appointment I’m ever eager to make. And as far as pain meds go, for me, sometimes they take a long time to kick in, or they don’t work the way they’re supposed to.”

“Yeah, guess so.”

“Do you think about them a lot?”

“Well, with how often sh— they’re in pain, I kind of 'ave to, don’t I?”

“I don’t know. We know in our heads that pain comes from our soulmate half the time but it’s a part of life. When I get a pain that's not mine on a mission, yeah, I'll send out a halfhearted curse in their name, but it’s so abstract. Fleeting, even. Like when someone says 'oh my God'. Most of the time, they aren't actually calling on God. I mean, are you a romantic about it? Do you try to guess things about their life based on what you feel?”

“Less and less. When I was old enough to grasp the subject, my mom explained it to me and I wanted to meet them as soon as I could. You know, kids talk about it in school. Then everyone’s running around pinching each other, not knowing what it would mean. How special it would be to find your soulmate that young. As a teenager, I yearned for that person I’m tied to. I’d imagine that I found her living on the next street over and that I’d sneak over when my stepdad was at his worst. That I’d 'ave someone who cared about me who wasn’t drugged out of their mind." He shrugs. "Might've been selfish, but I wanted someone to worry about me, you know?”

“Yeah. I remember that well. If it makes you feel better, most people would be worried about you with all the trouble you get into. I can tell my soulmate was abused as a teenager. I’ve always worried about them.”

He nods; makes a point not to keep rambling about the specifics of his fantasies, innocent as they were. The layout of the house he’d constructed in his head is still so clear in his mind. How he’d imagine whoever his soulmate was looking at him with concern when he showed up with new scrapes or bruises. If he’s honest, he still reverts back to that after a bad mission. Something must have shown on his face because you get up and make your way around the table to sit next to him and take his arm.

“Sorry if it’s too much. I get one alcoholic beverage in me and I go straight for the personal questions.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t mind. Not with you.” He bumps your shoulders together. “I’ve never told anyone that, is all.”

“Well, I’m glad you trust me with it. And I’m glad I get to know you as Eggsy and not only as Galahad.”

“Aww, well, thanks for listenin’. Anyway, now that I’ve poured out my most embarrassin’ inner thoughts—"

"Those are your most embarrassing thoughts? Boring."

He laughs. "I'm glad you think so. But I want to hear what you think of this whole soulmates business.”

“Well, first off, if there is any proof of a higher power, it’s the fact that we have soulmates. And this whole ‘feeling the pain of your other half until you meet them’ method of finding them is not only shit but also proof that if there is a higher power, it only wants to fuck with us. Sorry if you’re religious.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not. That line of reasoning definitely makes sense to me.”

“Yeah. If we’re going to get back into it, though, I’ve had a similar experience with the idea of soulmates. Using it as an escape when I was younger. Now I’m much more cynical of it. I’ve been around a few soulmates who found each other. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows because you meet them. Life still does it’s worst. Sometimes the pain lies in becoming over-reliant on each other. And that’s not to mention if your other half dies. I can’t imagine having that connection with someone only to lose them. And I don’t know. In our line of work, risking our lives on a daily basis, it’s easier to focus on the negatives. Convince yourself you don’t need it.”

“I don’t see how gettin’ your bell rung makes you avoid the idea of soulmates. If anythin’, it makes me want that even more.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair to burden anyone— let alone someone who’s supposed to mean so much to you— with that. I’m a spy and I can’t imagine knowing that every time my soulmate leaves for work, it could be the last time I see them. What if they tried to get you to quit? You could understand why, but that’s not an option. Not for me. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

“Guess that’s why they’re your soulmate. Yeah, it might be 'ard at first, but for us, it’s not just a job. It’s our family, a sense of duty; it helps make us who we are. Once they accept that this is part of us, they have to understand. I don’t believe that our soulmates wouldn’t come ‘round to the idea, even if they didn’t like it. Like you said, findin' your soulmate, don’t mean life is perfect.”

“I guess people like us are the reason some don’t like the idea of soulmates. Being tied to someone with an expiration date.”

He rolls his eyes. “Do you get this mopey every time you have alcohol? Is that why you don’t drink?”

You let out a breath. “I don’t know.”

He shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. “Whenever I hear people talk about how much they don’t care for the idea of soulmates, it’s usually because it makes them feel like they don’t have a choice or control.”

“Yeah, but that’s easily disputed. You can still sleep around before you meet them. Sometimes after you meet them— not everyone is built for monogamy. Your soulmate would understand if that was the case for you. That's part of what makes you soulmates. You still get to decide how your relationship works— if you want to pursue it at all.”

“Yeah, none of it ever made sense to me anyway. I always liked the idea that I’m not alone. That there's for sure someone out there who will understand me. I’d be 'eartbroken if I found out they were one of those people who—” He stops. “Sorry if you feel that way.” He looks down at his beer, busying his hands spinning it on the table. “I’m not trying to sound like I look down on them or anythin’. I just— it would hurt so bad to find out that your soulmate doesn’t want you. Wouldn’t it?” He furrows his brows as he looks up at you.

“Yeah, for sure. I can see why someone might not like the idea; that’s not unfathomable to me. As agents, with how much we have to stay off the radar, pretending I don’t want to find them is a convenient lie. For a lot of us, I think. But it’s still a lie. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I didn’t find them. Can you imagine having someone worrying about you like that all the time?”

“Doesn’t sound so bad to me. Means someone cares about you.”

"Guess so.” You pause, not wanting to overshare but you’re this deep into this conversation so you think: fuck it and continue. “I tell myself over and over all the reasons I don't need a soulmate, trying to curb that fucking yearning. You know?"

"Oh, I know about the yearning. I've always leaned into it, though. Sometimes, it was the only positive thing I had. Something to look forward to; a reason to try to be better, before my little sister was around."

"That seems like the way it's supposed to be. Maybe I should give that a shot, yeah? Especially when I'm going to bed thinking about them every night anyway."

—0—

Eggsy's been gone one a mission and wow, have you missed him. You heard he got back last night, and here he is at headquarters, bright and early, looking more chipper than you after your third cup of coffee.

“Ugh. what are you even doing here? Merlin said he cleared you for some time off.” You note that he has a split lip where yours has been throbbing for the last couple of days. It’s starting to feel better now, though.

He grins at you. “Couldn’t leave my best girl to eat alone, now that I’m back, could I?”

“Don’t tell Roxy that. Don’t want to have to fight for the title of Best Friend.”

“Please. She’s busier than ever and when she’s not working she’s off with her soulmate. Lucky one she is, meeting her’s so young.” He worries his split lip between his teeth as he serves himself from the breakfast bar Kingsman provides.

Your lip throbs. “Hey, stop biting your lip over there.”

He raises a brow, half turning to you. “Like something you see?”

“Oh, stop. I’m thinking of your soulmate. Mine happens to have a similar wound they can’t seem to stop biting at.”

He freezes, looking you over. For a minute, you’re afraid he’s going to bite his lip harder to test the theory that's planted itself in his head. As if you're not the one who planted it there. You don’t know why the idea scares you. Eggsy is the opposite of ugly, inside and out; anyone would be lucky to have him be the person they’re tied to forever. He licks his lips instead, maybe reading your trepidation, maybe scared himself now that the possibility is so close at hand.

“Course. Wouldn’t want to hurt 'er. Gets enough of that from me anyway.” He’s still staring at you and you feel like one of your uncle’s butterflies under his microscope.

—0—

“Like something you see?” He meant for it to be a cheeky comment that you’d scoff at like you always do. Little do you know: all those comments could turn into something much, much, more. You’d only need to say the word and Eggsy would let himself fall hard for you. As much as he wants to find his soulmate, he can’t imagine anything— anyone making him feel as good as you do. Part of him is even more desperate to find that bond, but a bigger part is petrified to lose how he feels for you. Even if his affections for you will always be bound within the confines of friendship.

“Oh, stop. I’m thinking of your soulmate. Mine happens to have a similar wound they can’t seem to stop biting at.”

His brain short circuits at that. There’s a real possibility that one of his best mates has been his soulmate this whole time. He watches you, trying desperately to read you. Are you truly oblivious to the implications of what you said or do you know? Are you testing the waters to see if he picks up on it and what his reaction is? What if you know and this is you telling him that you know and you don’t want him like that? He doesn’t know. Eggsy took up being a spy because he’s athletic, charismatic, and it was the best opportunity he would ever get. You became a spy because it’s in your blood. He has no way of reading you when you don’t want to be read and right now seems to be one of those times.

In any case, most of those options end in him having to face that his soulmate doesn’t want him— not yet anyway. So he licks his lips, watching your reaction to that at least, instead of checking.

—0—

You haven’t seen Eggsy in weeks and you miss him more than you knew you could miss a person. He’s been deep undercover for two months now and the only person he’s had fleeting contact with during that time has been Merlin. Even Harry has had no update for you when you’ve asked him. Of course, you’ve had your own missions to keep you busy, but that means little when it's Eggsy occupying your thoughts.

It’s rather jarring, then, when you walk into Merlin’s office to see Eggsy on-screen, bound to a chair, without his glasses. Of course, Merlin has been as tight-lipped about this as he is with all other missions. He wouldn’t even tell you that Eggsy’s okay. You suppose this is why.

“Fuck. Is this live? How long has he been like this?”

Merlin’s head pops up from where it was buried in his laptop just in time to see Harry walk in the room. He shuts off the screens and scrubs his hand down his face.

“Was that Eggsy? Are we extracting him?”

Merlin mumbled something to himself about this being the one time the two of you are on time to anything before addressing either of you. “Neither of you are going anywhere near this mission. I called you because I’m sending you elsewhere. It’s a simple mission, but someone has to do it.”

“Then send someone else. You expect either of us to be able to focus on anything else when we know the state he’s in?” You say.

“I have to agree with agent Kay on this.” Harry starts. “Besides, what sort of simple mission needs two of your best knights on the case?”

Merlin narrows his eyes. “Every knight in our ranks is the best of the best or they wouldn’t be here.”

“Oh, Merlin, you know it’s only us in here.”

Merlin sighs. “You both know that it’s my job to make these kinds of calls. You’re both too emotionally invested in this. Yes, it would be a rescue mission, but I can’t trust you to look at this logically. I need whoever goes in to have a level head, to be strategic. I don’t trust that you won’t charge in, guns blazing, even if the situation calls for discretion.”

Harry scoffs. “Merlin, how long have we worked together? You know that I will do whatever is necessary, even if I don’t like the process. That’s the job and I’ve been doing it for 30 years now.”

Merlin sighs and looks at you. “If I agree to this, you’ll keep a level head?”

“I’m Harry’s niece and that’s evident in all my past missions.”

“This isn’t just another mission for you and I need to know that you know that about yourself. If you won’t even admit what that boy means to you, I cannot trust you to control yourself out there.”

You look to Harry for help but he only waits for your answer. “Fine. I care about Eggsy a lot. Enough, in fact, that if prolonging his pain is the best way for everyone to make a clean exit, in the end, that’s what I’ll do.”

Merlin levels you with a somber stare before giving a curt nod. “That better be true.”

“So, where are we headed?”

“I don’t know yet.” Merlin opens his laptop and gets back to work.

“You stopped looking for him to patronize us?”

“Watch it.” He flicks his eyes up to meet yours. “Not that it’s your place to be questioning how I do my job, but I’ve had the software running this whole time. Until it picks something up, there’s not much to be done.”

You look to the feed when the man stops beating Eggsy to speak.

“Tell me, Henry” Eggsy’s code name for this particular mission comes from the monitor in an unfamiliar voice. “Have you found your soulmate?”

Eggsy furrows his brows. You can see that the question struck a chord in him and you can only hope that the man interrogating him doesn’t see it as well. Not that you imagine his reaction would change the outcome much. Whatever damage that question was going to do lies in Eggsy realizing that his soulmate is about to feel the torture he’s about to endure.

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

The man circles around Eggsy, but Eggsy doesn’t give him the satisfaction of trying to track him. When he comes back around, he shrugs. “You might not care what happens to you, but you’ll care if your soulmate has to go through hell because you won’t tell me who you work for.”

“That’s a lot hinging on me not havin’ met her yet.” Eggsy smirks. “Sorry, Bruv. We’ve met, we know we belong together. Do whatever you want to me, you’re not hurtin’ anyone else or getting a word outta me.”

“We’ll see if you’re so cocky after you’ve met some of my friends.” He gestures to a table of torture implements.”

“Oh, I know I won’t be, but while my friends could do the same amount of damage as your implements over there, at least mine are people.”

“That would’ve been a badass line if you came in to rescue him right now,” Merlin notes.

“Yeah, where are we on that, by the way?”

“Almost there. Go suit up, I’ll send a pilot to fire up the jet. By the time you’re ready to go, I should have coordinates.”

—0—

Once you’re en route, you notice Harry studying you. It wouldn’t be obvious to anyone else— he is a spy after all, but you are too and besides that, you know your uncle. You try to ignore it— your soulmate is for sure taking a beating and the last thing you want to deal with is stumbling through an obligatory feelings discussion with Harry. Too bad he shows no signs of stopping.

“You alright, Harry?”

“Perfectly.”

You roll your eyes and take your glasses off. “You’re not.”

“I’m concerned about you. You’re not the only one who can read people. Since we got on the jet— and before that, I presume— you haven’t been able to stop flinching.”

“Alright, if you must know, my soulmate is—” you feel a blunt blow to your stomach. Having been on the receiving end of your own share of such blows, you know your soulmate is gasping for air somewhere.

“Eggsy?” Harry finishes your sentence.

“What?”

“Your soulmate is Eggsy. I know. Most of us have suspected at this point.

“What?”

Harry stills, is quiet for a minute. “I apologize, I didn’t think it possible for you to be going anywhere else with that.”

“Fuck, Harry, I was going to tell you that my soulmate is taking a beating right now. Started in the hall after we left the brief with Merlin.”

He resists the urge to remind you that he, you, and Merlin all saw the footage with your own eyes at headquarters. Harry takes off his glasses now. “Are you alright? I know we’re trained to handle pain but soul pain is different. Paired with how much trouble your soulmate seems to get into, it has to be exhausting at the very least.”

“It is.”

“That’s it?”

“To be honest, I’m more worried about Eggsy than my soulmate right now."

Harry very pointedly does not roll his eyes. Still not recognizing that they're the same person, he sees.

"As you said, the pain is exhausting. They’re a grown adult, like me. I have to believe that they can handle themselves. I’m causing them pain all the time. I hope they’re not in agony worrying over me and my situation.”

Harry nods. “Will you at least keep me updated?”

“I’m fine, Harry.” It’s clear that he’s not buying it. “I know this mission is too important to let the stiff upper lip training get in the way— fuck, Merlin knew that— so I’ll tell you that I’m at about 70% right now.”

“Right.” So you’re only at 50%, Harry notes. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Wait, you said that most of you suspected Eggsy and I are soulmates. Why?”

He shrugs. “You two are close for the amount of time you haven’t spent together— in the grand scheme of things. Then, of course, you’re always wincing at the same time when we’re at the round table. One of you will trace the same spot the other has a wound. The other knights have a bit of a betting pool going for who guesses the closest time to when you two realize, who will realize first, and so forth.”

“Well, they’ll be disappointed, because whatever they saw was a coincidence. We’ve talked about it before. Both of us have soulmates who get into their own trouble. Sure, a couple of times, injuries have lined up, but when my actual soulmate and Eggsy both get into so many fights, they’re sure to overlap at some point. And vice versa.”

“Why are you so determined to ignore the possibility? Do you not want Eggsy to be your soulmate?”

“It’s not— I can’t think about that.”

“Because thinking about it would mean that you have to examine your own feelings you’ve developed for Eggsy?”

“Exactly. And if I acknowledge that in any way only to find out that what we’ve thought all this time was right, I’d be devastated. I can’t let myself think about him like that. He’s so invested in the idea of soulmates. He’s not someone who would give that up even if— if he fell in love with someone else.”

Harry’s face is unreadable but he drops it. “Thank you for letting me know so we can rescue Eggsy without more surprises than are necessary. Are you ready?”

“More than.” You stand as the jet lands, but as you take the first few steps toward the exit, you feel a blinding pain tear through your leg. The only reason you're not on the ground is that Harry catches you.

“Was that you or your soulmate?” Harry asks, still holding your ribs.

“It was them.” Your face is still crumpled in pain.

“Sit down, I’ll take care of this.”

“No, I’m fine. It was a shock, is all.”

“We don’t have time for me to have to babysit an injured agent. You’ll stay here.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not injured, then. I know how to work through pain. I wouldn’t risk Eggsy’s life over pride. Let’s stop wasting time arguing that point and go save him.”

Harry is infuriated with your nonchalance on the matter, especially suspecting— knowing what he does about you and Eggsy. But he knows this very thing is what makes you so good at your job. He also knows that if he were to voice his concerns you'd point that out. Paired with the fact that he's done this himself so many times, his only response is: "Quite so. After you."

—0—

“So, do you have a plan for when we get in there and Eggsy has a leg injury?”

“What? Did Merlin send you footage?”

“No, but your leg—”

“Is fine. I’m sure, between the two of us, we can get him out of there no matter what injuries he has.”

“He’s in there being tortured. Have you not thought of the possibility that he won’t have all his wits about him?”

“Of course I have. You’ll notice that I said you and I will get him out. We both know that this is only a rescue mission if all goes well. So what are you going on about?”

“There’s a real possibility that Eggsy is your soulmate.”

You roll your eyes. “Harry, we don’t have time for this.”

“I wouldn’t bring this up if I didn’t think I had to. Why do you think I’ve left it alone this whole time? It’s a very personal matter that you don’t seem ready to confront. That’s why I have to make sure that when we get in there and it’s confirmed for you, you’re not going to freeze up on me.”

“Fine. I’m here and any information I receive in there— like one of my best mates getting his ass handed to him—”

Harry isn’t amused and the look on his face tells you as much.

“Or any information about my soulmate” you continue. “Won’t change that. I’m a professional. And if I have to defend that fact— something the man who trained me should very well know— one more time, I’m going to lose it.”

“I’m afraid our training overlooks the emotional aspect. We’re taught to hold all emotions in but never how. Much less how to deal with them later. I’m not just your trainer, I’m your uncle and I’m telling you that I know this would be a more valid reason than most to get tripped up by emotion.”

“Harry, are you getting tripped up by it?”

“What? No, why would I—”

“Because you think that your niece, who you trained and is closer to you than she is her own parents, is about to realize that her soulmate is the boy from the estates who you took under your wing and trained as well. That would be a more valid reason than most to get tripped up by emotion. Even if it’s not true.”

“Alright, point taken. Let’s use that training and get in there.”

“Thank fuck. I thought you’d never come around.”

“You’re only closer to me because I don’t frown upon swearing.”

“Come on, it’s more than that and you know it.”

He doesn’t say anything in response, but he doesn’t have to. You can see him preening under the ever-present facade of a put-together gentleman.

“You also taught me how to shoot.”

“And not a day goes by that I don’t regret it.” He grimaces but you can see his pride beneath the quip.

—0—

Eggsy is still gasping from where his own, personal torturer twisted a knife in his leg when said man says something about going for a more permanent injury.

“Your girl likes your smile?” The man pauses to ask.

Eggsy doesn’t know how to respond. He knows he doesn’t like wherever this is going. “Sure. She liked my leg without a gash in it too.”

The man lets out a sharp laugh at that. “You know, I like you. You’re funny. I wish you’d give me the information I’m asking for so this could stop.”

“I’m starting to wish that too, mate.”

“As I said, I like you. So I’ll let you pick which tooth I rip out first. Your front tooth or your K9?”

Eggsy sighs. He has no doubt the calvary is on their way, but he would really like to keep his teeth, thank you. “Well, we both know that I would prefer to have no teeth ripped out. What do you say we compromise and take one further back to start with? Maybe the tooth two behind my K9? It’ll still show when I laugh, but not when I smile and it’s bigger so I imagine it’ll hurt more.”

The other man lets out a guttural laugh. Eggsy isn’t inclined to interrupt him, extended as it is. “You see? You’re funny. Most people, when they are in your position, they’re scared. They don’t want to say something wrong, afraid it’ll make me do something worse to them. They don’t understand that I will do what I will do.” And with that, he picks up the pliers and squeezes Eggsy’s jaw. When Eggsy won’t open his mouth he pinches his nose. “You’ll have to breathe sometime. I have no other plans today.”

Eggsy stares the man down. He knows he can hold his breath for a long time and he’s going to prolong this as much as he can. His lungs haven’t even started burning when the door bangs open. Considering that he’s the victim here, the thought of someone walking in on this scared him more than it should have. Maybe it’s because he’s presumably hidden away; that anyone who would be walking in could be worse than this goon they left him with. Maybe this guy is the good cop. In any case, he can’t tell because the man is still gripping his face.

—0—

When you and Harry bust into Eggsy’s cell, there’s a stocky man holding him by the face with one hand and holding his nose with the other. You can’t help it. The sight of Eggsy beaten and at someone else’s mercy drives you forward with no thought of your own safety or a plan or anything else. The man who was previously holding Eggsy reminds you. This reminder comes in the form of a knife. First, in reference to your own safety as it tears through your leg; then in reference to something else when Eggsy lets out a matching scream at your pain. It’s not until then that you notice his leg bleeding through his suit in the same spot where you started feeling excruciating pain less than an hour ago. Harry was right. Of course, he was. He wouldn’t have distracted you talking about soulmates if he wasn’t sure. Eggsy is your soulmate. All this information came hurtling at you in the span of a second and you’re relying on every second of training you’ve had to push it away. You told Harry that you wouldn’t be a liability if this happened. For everyone’s sake, you need to prove it right now.

—0—

Eggsy screams when he sees the man charge at you. At first, it’s a plea of no. Eggsy can handle whatever this man throws at him but he can’t handle you being hurt. He doesn’t know when the pain hits, but all at once, it's there and his plea turns into a cry of pain. There’s a moment after you go down when he sees you go through a range of emotions before your face goes blank. He can see you winding up to fight when Harry buries a bullet in the man’s head.

“Are you both in a state to get out of here?” Harry asks as he cuts the ropes holding Eggsy to the chair.

“Wait a minute. You just— I felt you get stabbed. Did you— did you feel this?” Eggsy gestures to his bloody leg as he makes his way over to you.

“Yeah. Harry almost didn’t let me come because of it.” You pant from your spot still on the ground. “Stopped feeling it a second ago, though, so either it’s going numb or you’ve realized that we’re soulmates too.”

Eggsy lets out a breath in disbelief and covers his mouth with his hand. “Little bit of both.”

You can’t tell if he’s laughing or crying as he sinks down next to you, pulling you up to sit so he can put his arms around you.

“Eggsy, are you okay?” You pat his back.

He takes a breath and sits back. “That depends on if you want me.”

“Oh, Eggs, I’m so sorry you have to ask that.”

Harry cuts in before Eggsy can respond. “Touching as this moment is, I have a feeling that it's going to be an ordeal getting out of here. Let’s not wait around for an army to come to us, yes?”

“Yeah, we can talk about this later.” You agree. “Harry, a hand?”

—0—

Eggsy hasn’t taken his eyes off you since they wheeled you into his room at Kingsman medical. You’re too far away to clasp hands and he doesn’t like it. You’ve been drifting in and out of sleep, the anesthesia taking its sweet time wearing off. He talks to you each time you wake, and each time, you’re as happy to see him as the last. You remember that you’re soulmates, at least. How would that work if you forgot? Would you go back to feeling each other’s pain again, or would you have to take his word as proof? He doesn’t want to think about it. Frankly, he can’t handle the idea of losing you in any way when you haven’t had the chance to have each other at all yet.

You wake on a cot in Kingsman medical, across the way from Eggsy. He’s on his side, smiling at you.

“Eggsy.” You don’t bother containing your grin either in front of him or under the effects of the anesthesia.

“Mornin’ love.”

“Love? We’re already doing pet names?”

He hums in response. “Been through it bout five times now.”

You furrow your brows. You don’t remember— right. The drugs. “Am I bothering you already?”

He rolls his eyes. “I’ll go through it five more times if I ‘ave to. But I don’t think I will. This is the most coherent you’ve been so far.”

“Have I told you that I love you yet?” You murmur into your pillow, letting your eyes slip closed again.

“You’ve told that pillow a few times.” He laughs, still a bit hazy from the anesthesia himself.

He doesn’t get to find out if you were in fact, talking to him this time either.

—0—

The doctor had a talk with you about your conditions. She wanted to keep you both in medical longer, but Harry offered his spare room and she agreed to release you under his care.

“Now, I know you just found out that you’re soulmates— congratulations, by the way— but you can’t have any strenuous activity for at least two weeks. That includes any sexual activities that you have to move or put pressure on your legs for.”

“So we’ve still got some options.” Eggsy winks at you.

“Mr. Unwin, if you want to get back in the field at any point and have full use of your leg— and that's not mentioning the other injuries you sustained— for other activities, you’ll take this seriously.”

“Right, of course.”

“I’m hoping you being under your uncle’s roof will dissuade you further.” She looks at you as she says it. “Other than that, bedrest is crucial and I’ll send some pain meds home with you.”

—0—

Once you’re at Harry’s place, settled in bed next to Eggsy, he turns to you. “So, we ‘aven’t talked about this.”

“We haven’t.” You agree.

“Well, when you and ‘Arry busted in to save me, you told me you wanted me. We’re at your uncle’s place, sharing a bed, and you didn’t protest to that. I assume he asked you separately like he did me.”

“All of that’s true.”

Eggsy sighs at your stiffness. Now that you’re back to yourself, there’s no trace of the girl mumbling I love yous into her pillow or laughing at the idea of pet names. He wonders if you remember it. “Alright. I can start. I love you. ‘Ave for a while now. I can’t tell you ‘ow glad I am that you’re my soulmate.”

“Love you too, Eggsy. I was in denial for a long time, but I guess everyone else saw it.”

“Why were you in denial?”

“I was afraid of being wrong. I knew, on the rare occasion that I let myself dwell on it, that I loved you as more than a friend. I saw hints here and there, I’d have to be stupid not to. But I couldn’t let myself believe it. Every time I felt an injury you had, I wrote it off as a coincidence.”

“That makes sense. I think, when you didn’t say anythin’, I started making excuses too.” He pauses. “Everyone knew it?”

“According to Harry, there’s a betting pool.”

“‘Arry knew? And he didn’t think to tell us?”

“He knew I wasn’t ready to confront it and he felt like it wasn’t his place.”

“Then ‘ow do you know all this now?”

“Harry—” You sigh, trying to find a concise way to tell Eggsy what happened.

“Hey, it’s alright. We got all night and two weeks after that with nothin’ better to do.”

“I don’t think he meant to at first. He thought I figured it out and seemed pretty relieved. Then I denied it and he wouldn’t drop it. He didn’t want me to freeze up when I saw the state you were in and realized we’re soulmates at the same time. Honestly, it was a good thing.”

He lets out a breath. “Gettin’ stabbed in the knee is a good thing?”

You shrug. “Better than the head.”

He frowns and his arm tightens around you— seemingly unbeknownst to him. “Don’t talk like that. It was hard enough watching you get hurt when I couldn’t do anythin’ to ‘elp you, let alone knowin’ you were doin’ it for me.”

“Eggsy, I know it’s easier said than done, but you do not have to feel guilty about that. We’ve been Kingsman and best mates for a while now. Harry and I had to convince Merlin to let us be the ones who came to save you. If this” You motion to your leg. “Is what had to happen for me to wake up and realize that you’re my soulmate, I’d do it all again.”

“So, you’ve never seemed to care too much about monogamy.”

For a second, you think he’s going to continue, but he doesn’t. “Yeah, even when I was with someone for a while, sleeping around didn’t bother me as long as we were both being safe about it. But now, with you, I think I’d feel different.”

He lets out a breath. “Thank God. I’m not— I don’t think I’m the jealous type, but I never understood that.”

You shrug. “Open relationships make it easier for everyone when you’re one, a spy, and two, they’re a placeholder for your soulmate.”

Eggsy frowns. “Well we’re both spies, so how is that going to work?”

“Honeypot missions are rare and now that Kingsman allows you to keep our job if you’re with your soulmate, they try to give those missions to the single agents. Besides, it’s different if we have to do it for the job, don’t you think?”

He sighs. “I guess.” He pauses. “Will you be annoyed if I need reassurance if that happens?”

You roll your eyes. “No. That might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Fuck, it’s like you were plucked straight from a romance novel.”

He lets out a relieved breath and a quick smile. “While we’re on the topic of us bein’ spies, I remember you sain’ that you didn’t know if you could handle not knowing if your soulmate was comin’ ‘ome to you every time they left for work. You know how much this job means to me.”

“Eggsy, I would never ask you to stop. I understand. Anyway, I’ve been watching you leave on missions and worrying about you for years now. I know you’ve been doing the same with me.”

He nods. “I feel like you’ve been reassuring me this whole time. Is there anyhin’ you want to ask me about?”

“Probably, but nothing comes to mind right now. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Everything you brought up was good to clear the air about before we dive headfirst into our relationship. Right now, I want to be with you.”

“I can get behind that.” He grins as he leans in to connect your lips.


End file.
